The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1887-12-01


the person writing over the nom de plum,
"Vinega" in this weeks issue of The
Times. At least the authorship is at
tributed to him on the streets. 1t is idle
to attempt to refute the charge of hostil
ity to union soldiers on the part of the
editor of this paper. Phe only evidence
of sympathy that will be accepted is a lo
of lackadaisical dribble which is an of
tense to the true soldier who has no.
reared an altar on which sacrifices to hi.
vanity are to be perpetually offered
Patriotism is not self-glorifcation MOI
does charity consist in eternally bowling
Of gratitude due to the nations defend
ers.n What has been paid out in pen
sions would almost purchase every slave
there was in the southern states at tn,
beginning of the war. Those who ar,
now emotionally insane on patriotism
know well that there was but small pei
centage of that sentiment an active factor
in raising armies. It is we'll enough to
| be honest in this matter and well enough
to admit that patriotism" is not exclu-
sively confded to the custody of thos
who saw military service. There is I'M.
minent danger that patriotism is degen-
Grating into bragg3docio; that sympath.
can only be expressed in the fulsomt
language Of the parasite, and that charity
to be genuine, must vaunt itself and scat
ter its gifts from the house tops.
No nation under the sun has beer
more generous to its soldiers than has
this. 1t expends as much on pensions at
! Germany on its military establishment.
1t is proper it should do SO, but it is de,
nounced as an migrate, while pouring
forth annually S75,OOO,OOO and otherwise
providing for those disabled in its service.
How should pension laws be framed
Are proofs of disability and service neces-
sary or should pensions be granted Oh
application merely? Certain it is that
the laws in certain cases are bar to the
granting of pensions to some who are
entitled to them. But that is their mis-
fortune, not the laws fault. There never
was law enacted that did not do injus-
| tice in individual cases.
AS to the charge that the board is
counseled to disobey the law: Has Vim
ega read it with care? Chapter 518, SEES
sion laws of 1887, gives the board no pow
er to levy tax upon the county for the
purpose mentioned. 1t is amendatory o.
a section relating to the support of the
poor by county wherein the distinction
between county poor and town poor has
! been abolished and is an addition to, anC
not change of, the provisions of tn,
section. BY that chapter the tCwn, city
or village Is the proper rarty to extenC
aid. The raising Of a fund as cOntem
plated by Char. 3O4, session laws of the
same year, requires as condition prece
| dent the report of chairmen of the sew.
eral towns, village boards or common
| councils, to the county board; list Of
such INDECENT persons and the probable
amount necessary for their relief. The
county board on such reports levies tn,
necessary tax. Has Mr.. Ostenfeldt an!
such reports on which he justifes tn,
levy of tax of $4,000? The presumption
| is that the officers have done their duty
| and no reports have been made as requir.
ed by law. What justification is there
then for the tax?
If there are few members who know
OF these INDECENT persons, would it not
/ be more business-ike to ascertain just
how much is needed to relieve their dis
| tress and raise that amount, than to be
at once affected with plethora of graft
tude to the nations defenders" and levy
tax to the utmost limit of the law?
The want of charitable impulse in the
editor of this paper is matter of such
| little moment that it was not deserving
allusion in Vinega's comments. The
hand that would stay its gift because the
person in application had not been SOL
der, or the voice raised in ostentatious
| pleading for charitable tax levy, does not,
indeed, affect him so deeply as to make
him blind to the motive which influences
such actions. There is no poor person
who should not have relief; no one who
suffers who should not have sympathy.
No man deserving to be ranked as such,
would see a child or woman burdened
with sorrow or oppressed with poverty
whose heart would not be touched and
| whose sympathy would not respond in
some act of kindly relief. Charity does
not recognize caste and the weeping child
| OF beggar is an object of pity as much
as the boosted scion of one of the ma
TONS defenders" If there are any wo-
men or children In the county in want
levy tax of twice ten thousand dollars
under any pretext, under any interpreta-
ton of any law, in defiance of any law, OF
of all laws. if need be, and The Pilot will
say well done" to the board and sustain
its action, no matter by whom assailed
But this lugllborious cantand efferves-
cence of sickly sentiment is a parody
upon charity, libel upon humane feel.
ing, an imposition upon the people and q
spurious growth Of patriotic ardor which
it is wise to check.
RECENTLY we made arrangements with
j. G Grotty of New York, who are manu-.
facturers of the Harper's Bazaar Patterns